Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 03.11.10

Texas Tech (8-6) vs. Gonzaga (5-5)
Location: Dan Law Field : Lubbock, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Sr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Sr.); RF - Barrett Barnes (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Sr.)     2ND - Nick Popescu (Jr.);
3RD - Justin Berry (SO.)                                  1ST - Stephen Hagen (Jr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (So.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (So.)

*Click on the score for boxscore. Texas Tech series preview (pdf).

The Game: Lots of questionable pitching, for both teams, as it appears that the wind was blowing out all game long. Starter Scott Erzinger (2.0 IP; 6 H; 4 ER; 0 BB; 3 SO) wasn't effective and neither was any other reliever, except for Scott Flora who got the final out of the game. Colt Farrar (3.0 IP; 2 H; 2 ER; 1 BB; 0 SO) was probably the best of the bunch, while Louis Head (2.0 IP; 6 H; 4 ER; 0 BB; 0 SO) had a similar line to Erzinger. On the offense, DH Scott LeJeune (3-5; 1 RBI) and 1B Stephen Hagen (3-4; 2 RBI; 1 HR) led the offense with three hits each. SS Joey Kenwothy, RB Barrett Barnes, PH Bonhan Hough (1 HR) and Taylor Ashby each also had at least one RBI. Despite the offense, it just wasn't enough to keep pace with Gonzaga.

Recaps: LAJ's George Watson has the recap from yesterday's game, but the big news is that head coach Dan Spencer has juggled his pitching staff and Jay Johnson is out as the closer, Chad Bettis is back in as the closer. Here's Watson:

Dan Law Field already plays like an airport runway, so the last thing a weary and thin Texas Tech pitching staff needed to do was leave balls up where Gonzaga hitters could make use of the jet stream.

That’s exactly what happened Wednesday. The Bulldogs took advantage of a howling wind blowing out to left, crushing three home runs in the first five innings and seven total en route to a 13-9 win against the Red Raiders.

Whenever the Red Raiders put up some runs, the Zags scored right behind them.

"You need to get some zeros after you score," head coach Dan Spencer said. "And I understand the yard was playing small today, but you’ve got to make better pitches. Some of it was wind. Some of it was good swings on balls up in the zone. They’re a good hitting bunch and if you get the ball up on a day like today it’s going to go."

Official Site Post Game Quotes (link):

Head Coach Dan Spencer on starting pitcher Scott Erzinger's performance today:
"I think Scott (Erzinger) was okay. He throws a borderline pitch, 2-2, to the three-hole hitter and he balls it. The next pitch he hits it out. Then he gives up three or four consecutive hits. Scott just had a hard time. He got ahead for the most part. He'd have two strikes and then couldn't finish. He couldn't make a quality pitch to end the at-bat. Scott's a redshirt freshman and he's learning on the fly. We're asking him to do some things because of our pitching situation. So we're asking him to do some things before he's quite ready. I'm sure we're going to ask again so we'll just go back to work and continue to grind it out."

Head Coach Dan Spencer on the closing situation now with Bettis back in the bullpen:
"I think there's going to be days you see Jay (Johnson) there still because maybe Chad (Bettis) was burned. I think we'll use them as a two-headed beast. I would think if they are both available, you'll see Jay first and then Chad behind him. We like that fact. Our job now is to try and get the ball to them late. Try to get the ball to them with the lead and shorten the game a little bit."

Not Playing Fair:  LAJ's Matthew Mcgowan writes that Captain Mike Leach isn't being fair in his request for records from Frenship I.S.D. in regards as to when current head coach Tommy Tuberville's children enrolled in school.  Apparently, Judge Sowder has scheduled a hearing to rule on Leach's request for discovery and here's Texas Tech lawya Dicky Gregg:

"We are extremely disappointed that Coach Leach and his attorneys have chosen to invade the privacy of Coach Tuberville and his family through the issuance of a needless subpoena to the Frenship ISD," wrote Dicky Grigg, an Austin-based attorney for Tech. "The subpoena issued by Coach Leach's attorneys is clearly so broad that it could encompass homework assignments, grades, and even medical information about Coach Tuberville's children."

Grigg goes on to write that Leach, through the nature of the request, is fueling a "ridiculous conspiracy theory" that Tech had begun courting Tuberville before firing him.

I too think it was over-reaching and it appears that the judge may be siding with Texas Tech on this one issue, but I guess we'll see.

Texas Tech Pro Day:  DT's Adam Coleman writes about the Texas Tech Pro Day that's scheduled to happen today at Jones AT&T Stadium.  DTN favorite Daniel Howard, who has been training in Florida, had this to day about the process:

Howard is optimistic about his chances of getting drafted and landing on an NFL roster. He said he already has worked out in front of scouts and he’s had contact with a few teams.

Howard said he is just concentrated on getting to an NFL camp, and whether he makes a team depends on what he does there.

"It all just kind of feels normal to me because I’ve expected this for so long," he said. "It’s just been my dream ever since I was little. Now it’s kind of like, ‘I got my shot.’"

From reading the article, you can add CB Jamar Wall, C Shawn Byrnes, DE Brandon Sharpe, RT Marlon Winn and RG Brandon Carter.

Tuberville Named to AFCA Board of Trustees:  Per the official site, Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville was named to the American Football Coaches Association's Board of Trustee.  I'm not sure what the AFCA actually does and I have no interest in looking up what they do, but congrats to Tubs!